The Toronto Star Feature Series on the OMB and our Yonge-Eglinton Area

The Toronto Star Feature Series on the OMB and our Yonge-Eglinton Area

The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) is an unaccountable, unelected and anti-democratic provincially-appointed body that has the final say over our city’s planning decisions. The influence that the OMB has had on the Yonge-Eglinton area were featured in a well-written, informative series in the Toronto Star this past weekend.

As many of you know, I have been a long-time advocate of freeing Toronto from the OMB’s purview. While the Province has stopped short of eliminating the OMB altogether, there are a number of very positive reforms proposed in this Ministry of Municipal Affairs consultation document released last year that would significantly improve the planning process for Toronto, including:

Only allowing the OMB to hear appeals on the “validity of the decision” by council, limiting the OMB’s ability to hear appeals and completely overturn decisions

Preventing appeals of secondary plans, including Yonge and Eglinton which is now under review, for two years

Requiring the OMB to send “significant new information” arising from a hearing back to council for re-evaluation before rendering a decision